**** we're not accepting any surfers at the moment, our neighbourhood has not been safe enough for us to take responsibility for our guests' wellbeing ****

Good luck and enjoy London,
Jagoda

NO REQUESTS MORE THAN TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE, PLEASE! ALSO, HAVE A LOOK AT 'MY HOME'
SECTION BEFORE WRITING!

WE HAVE A CAT SO PLEASE DON'T REQUEST IF YOU HAVE AN ALLERGY!

*** Yes, this is a long one! if you want to stay with me and my twin, you need to read both of our profiles. We tend to accept surfers that send us nice requests proving that they'd read our profiles and found them interesting or compatible. We don't mind hosting newbies (with complete profiles! and preferably verification) if you provide us with a sufficient evidence of you existing in real life, e.g. Facebook or Linkedin profile. I have plenty of disclaimers here for fellow surfers because we get at least dozen requests a day and 90% of them are from freeloaders or time wasters that don't quite understand the concept of CS perceiving it as an opportunity to crash for free in the city centre. We've hosted people of this sort what was a frustrating experience for us that we don't want to relive ever again. What surfers don't realise is that with that kind of attitude they push the best CSers to leave the site as they burn out thanks to random folks abusing their kindness and hospitality. Let's make CS cool again, everyone :) ***

I am a simple, Converse-wearing girl in love with classical and indie music, quite often accused by friends of being a bit of a hipster which of course is a baseless accusation :). Board games, night in or an ale or cider drunk in a nice pub with quality playlist is how I like spending a night off, I could also binge on some trashy show on Netflix while eating Doritos but hey... We all have our own demons, right? Apart from that I work in mental health and study Psychology part-time. I live in London, the city that I share a love-hate relationship with, I'm a cat lady (just kidding! we only have one kitty but we're obsessed with her, don't judge!) and a twin.

Listening was always something that I enjoyed much more than talking, I cannot wait to hear your story. I never shy away from a lively debate so fire away:). I'm a very curious creature. I am originally from Poland, I am very proud of our heritage and culture and am always excited to share my passion for Eastern Europe and Slavic traditions with others.

A mug (cups are much too small!) of tea and long, evening conversations is how I enjoy the 'London nightlife' :D, so any attempt to drag me out to some club with pop music on a weekend is a waste of time :).

* Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi.*

Last but not least, my faith is what defines me as a person. From it I draw my strength, peace and hope. It's the most beautiful gift that I've ever received, the biggest adventure I could have wished for and I'm doing my best to make the most of it here on Earth. /Cor ad cor loquitur./

+Dominus meus et Deus meus +

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My sister Malwina (CS profile https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/malwinoos) and I host and surf together, lately being more of hosts welcoming strangers in our West London flat. We love CS because we enjoy the cultural exchange, which makes travelling a unique experience. That's how we best learnt about countries we've visited, through the locals and their stories. Better than a trip to any gallery or a museum. The best history classes we've attended took place either in our hosts' lounge over a tea/beer/dinner/ while doing the dishes or on the road when hitchhiking :). That's the magic of CS and a reason why we love having CSers over in our flat, although we tend to be very selective, hence we don't accept many requests that we find ridiculous, disrespectful or demanding. We automatically decline any of the ones mentioned above plus copy-pastes, 'PM me if you have any questions' alike, clubbers, groups, people coming with friends with no CS profile etc.

Dear surfers!

When sending us requests, please don't say that you surf to save. If you think that CS is about being cheap, then something went wrong. We don't want that kind of people to stay with us. We have no sympathy for those stating that hostels are expensive in London. Guess what? Rent is expensive too! Plus most of you could afford flights, massive cameras and the newest iPhone in the first place. No more freeloaders under our roof! We've had enough!

Interests

I like...
Sundays at Brompton Oratory, empty cinemas, long conversations, evenings, dogs and cats, Tridentine mass, people smiling on the Tube (unless it's a weird creep staring at you for past 15 minutes), honesty, cheesy chips, philosophy, rosary, Pepsi Max, headphones, having long hair, London parks, grandparents' generation, debating, sleeping in, active listening, buying books(then not having time to read them), silence, navy blue, live music, politics, walking, hitchhiking, tea, old books with soft yellowish pages, wildflowers, mountains, peace of heart, dreamless nights, charity shops, Ebay, London weather, V&A, Polish summers, old churches, Bill Burr, trees, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), doing dishes, swimming, clouds

I don't like...
Mornings, noise, slow pedestrians, TfL, Westminister, coffee, rush hour, East London, modern art, bugs, GPS, liturgical dance, feminism, income tax, Oxford Street, queues, sarcasm, makeup, Sigmund Freud, uncertainty, social media, delays, being scared, motivational speakers, roses, modern churches, violence, anything even slightly off-key, heat, selfies, romcoms, running, maps, bad nightmares, shopping, psychoanalysis, clapping at mass, saxophones, cardio, hoovering, heels, hairdressers, crowds

• swing dancing
• board games
• country music
• catholic
• swimming
• psychology
• religion
• mental health
• balkan music
• psychotherapy
• eastern europe

Music, Movies, and Books

I read...
books of Szczepan Twardoch (my favourite Polish author), George Orwell, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, Catholic stuff, non-fiction, mainly biographies. My favourite books are One Hundred Years of Solitude and St Agustine's Confessions.

I watch...
old musicals and classics from the 50s and 60s with Gene Kelly, Julie Andrews and Paul Newman as my favourite actors. I also enjoy anything from Tim Burton, Emir Kusturica, Paolo Sorrentino, Clint Eastwood and Wes Anderson.

My top 5 is Singin' in the rain, La grande bellezza, Three faces of Eve, A Streetcar Named Desire and Gran Torino.

I am a big time series addict and here are the ones I loved the most: Parks and Rec (Ron Swanson WTF!), 1st season of True Detective, Fargo (1st season), Hannibal (RIP), Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey. I still follow This is Us, House of Cards, The Young Pope and Nashville.

I listen to...
a little bit of rock: Muse, R.E.M and good old The Beach Boys
folk: Simon & Garfunkel, Jackson C. Frank, Tom Rosenthal, Lord Huron
(electro) swing: Parov Stelar, Caravan Palace, Django Reinhardt
classical: da Palestrina, Mozart, Tallis, Arvo Part, Tavener, Górecki, Chopin, Stravinsky, Satie
Polish music: Brodka, Adam Strug, Monodia, Paweł Bębenek, Luxtorpeda
I also love music of the Balkans with an extreme appreciation for Bregovic's pieces
blue grass/country: Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers, Chris Stapleton,, ZZ Top, The SteelDrivers, Old Crow Medicine Show, Nashville soundtrack.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Due to the nature of my job I got to witness and support emotionally two different families saying their last goodbyes to the loved ones passing away only within one week. Although I felt totally overwhelmed and bewildered by the experience I still believe that there is something truly remarkable and beautiful about joining someone on their final journey.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share with you my knowledge in the field of psychology, psychotherapy and mediation. I love discussing anything in the area of mental health, so brace yourself for lengthy, evening conversations (just kidding :P, we can talk about anything and everything). I also know a lot about conflict management and effective communication so would be happy to pass that on too :).
Useful tips on stress and anger management, conflict and aggression de-escalation, as well as simple self-defence techniques are always up my sleeve since that's something I had to learn while working at my ward.

I'm up for learning pretty much anything, but cooking is definitely something that needs some improving:), so I'd be happy if you could show me some magic tricks straight from your homeland. I love learning about folklore, folk music and local traditions, especially if you're from a little town or a countryside.

What I Can Share with Hosts

What I Can Share With /SURFERS/

-comfy sofa with fresh bedding (although we'd appreciate you bringing a sleeping bag so we won't end up broke on laundry bills)
-towels if needed (although see above)
-access to the kitchen (don't confuse with access to our fridge unless you leave there something that you bought yourself), but we won't provide you with meals, because first, we don't have time to cook for surfers, second, we host 2- 5 people every week, if we supplied them with food, we'd go broke within a week! We always have some nice selection of teas, coffee and biscuits as well as Polish alcohol for tasting as we hardly drink any
-our evenings (We expect surfers to spend some time with us, we don't need much, but since we let you into our flat, we need to have a chance to get to know you a little over a cup of tea or so, plus that's what CS is about, cultural exchange, there's no joy in letting someone use your couch and bathroom for free when they're not willing to even spend an hour with you on a casual chat. Our flat is not freeloaders' friendly!)
-advice and tips on getting around London and touristy stuff (we are NOT tour guides though, we work full time and also study, many surfers don't quite realise that Londoners live busy lives and rarely have time to show people around)
- a guitar and a lot of books to keep you awake at night
- always clean bathroom with a shower
-WiFi and a laptop/tablet access
-laundry - the laundrette is just across the street from the flat, if in need
-early mornings - you gotta leave with us when it's a weekday. Don't make us late to work, please! Malwina leaves promptly at 7 o'clock, no excuses. We had plenty of surfers that put us in a very difficult situation when we were literally forced to give them a key because they wouldn't have been ready on time. Not cool! If you want to stay with us, you need to follow the house rules.

more in 'My Home'section, please read it to avoid misunderstandings and unrealistic requests =>

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Poland, United Kingdom